To date, FDA has not determined any consistent pattern of symptoms that can be attributed
to the use of aspartame, nor is the agency aware of any recent studies that clearly show
safety problems.

• Aspartame and the Internet (The Lancet):

Our research revealed over 6000 web sites that mention aspartame, with many hundreds
alleging aspartame to be the cause of multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosis, Gulf War
Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain tumours, and diabetes mellitus, among many
others. Virtually all of the information offered is anecdotal, from anonymous sources and
is scientifically implausible.

Health scare artists have found a whole new medium for terrorizing the public — the
Internet. Individuals in search of accurate health information may literally become caught
in the Web, where health hoaxes and urban medical myths run rampant. The health scare
messages are always the same — whatever it is, it will make you sick.

A highly inaccurate "chain letter" is being circulated via e-mail warning the reader of
the health dangers of aspartame (Nutrasweet) diet drinks.

There is so much scientific untruth in it, it’s scary. Be careful, because others know how
to manipulate you by this. Just because something is beyond your comprehension doesn’t
mean it is scientific.

• FDA Statement on Aspartame (FDA):

Analysis of the National Cancer Institute's public data base on cancer incidence in the
United States — the SEER Program — does not support an association between the use of
aspartame and increased incidence of brain tumors.

• Study Reaffirms Safety of Aspartame (MIT News):

Even daily large doses of the high-intensity sweetener aspartame, also known as
NutraSweet, had no adverse effect on study subjects' health and well-being, a visiting
scientist at MIT reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last week.

"We conclude that aspartame is safe for the general population," said Paul A. Spiers,
visiting scientist in the Clinical Research Center (CRC).

• A Web of Deceit (TIME magazine):

A widely disseminated e-mail by a "Nancy Markle" links aspartame to Alzheimer's, birth
defects, brain cancer, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome, lupus, multiple sclerosis and
seizures. Right away, the long list warrants skepticism. Just as no single chemical cures
everything, none causes everything.
-----------------